Napoli and Juventus remain locked together at the top of Serie A after winning their respective games at the weekend.
Napoli`s was a hard-earned 2-1 triumph over Udinese at the Stadio San Paolo, with Marek Hamsik and Goran Pandev scoring either side of Giampiero Pinzi`s equaliser for a Udinese side who continue to struggle.
Juve also had to do it tough, emerging from their clash at Siena with a win by the same scoreline. Andrea Pirlo gave the Bianconeri the lead with an early free-kick, but the Old Lady were pegged back in first-half stoppage time by Emanuele Calaio’s equaliser. However, the visitors refused to settle for the draw and secured all three points five minutes from time when Claudio Marchisio volleyed home the winner.
Away from the leaders, Walter Samuel lit the touchpaper on the fieriest of Milan derbies, and stood back as 10-man Inter Milan rode out a controversial 90 minutes to heap further woe on Massimiliano Allegri with a 1-0 win.
All eyes had been on Inter striker Antonio Cassano, who had switched sides at the San Siro before the start of the Serie A season, but it was veteran centre-back Samuel who won the game for the Nerazzurri with a headed goal in the third minute. Riccardo Montolivo was denied the chance to restore parity courtesy of a controversial call from referee Paolo Valeri, but AC Milan only had themselves to blame for failing to capitalise when Yuto Nagatomo’s dismissal put Inter on the back foot for much of the second half.
Roma bounced back from their 4-1 defeat to Juventus a week ago to pick up all three points at the expense of Atalanta in a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico. Erik Lamela and Michael Bradley got the goals as Zdenek Zeman’s side responded to recent criticism to edge up the Serie A table.
Elsewhere, Stevan Jovetic’s early goal earned Fiorentina a 1-0 victory at home to Bologna, whileCatania made it another trip to Sicily to forget for 10-man Parma as goals from Alejandro Gomez and Gonzalo Bergessio sealed a comfortable 2-0 win.
Pescara’s mini-revival was ended in emphatic fashion as Lazio ran out comfortable winners 3-0, with a Hernanes free-kick and a brace by Miroslav Klose sorting things out inside 35 minutes.
Finally, Ivo Pulga started started life in the Cagliari hot seat with a win – and a first of the season at that – as Nene`s goal 16 minutes from time saw off Torino.